Sermon Tone Analysis

Read Luke 6:12-19 –When LBJ became president, he appointed Larry O’Brien Postmaster General.

For publicity reasons, he insisted that O’Brien take his oath of office in Hye, TX where he recalled mailing his first letter at age 4. At the ceremony, Pres Johnson remarked, “It was 53 years ago that I mailed that first letter.

And Larry O’Brien told me a few moments ago that he is going out to find that letter and deliver it.”

Our question this morning is, are we delivering our mail – the gospel of forgiveness in Jesus Christ?

Last week we began to look at how Jesus chose 12 men to represent Him after His departure.

We saw how God took ordinary men and produced great things through them for His ultimate glory.

And He wants to do the same through us.

But having looked at the men, today we focus on the Purpose and Power of their choosing.

Lessons here will encourage us to make sure that Christ’s message is not lost to those around us through our negligence.

*II.

The Purpose*

“17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.”

Training of the 12 now begins in earnest.

In these words we see the purpose for which they were chosen.

They were chosen to serve, preaching the gospel in WORD and in DEED to everyone.

Jesus’ preaching is summarized in Matt 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The kingdom of God is coming, but you’ve got to repent of your sins if you want to be a part of it.

That is the message, presented in various ways throughout His ministry.

According to Luke 19:10 He came – “to seek and to save the lost.”

That gospel hasn’t changed from that day to this.

It is still the same good news.

Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins and will deliver everyone who accepts Him as Lord.

The purpose of service is to preach the gospel in word and in deed to everyone.

So let’s look at those elements individually.

*A.

In Word*

Jesus’ popularity was fueled by His miracles.

But don’t miss the first reason people came in v. 18.

They came to hear him.

The healing was spectacular.

But without question, His priority was the preaching.

Jesus says in Luke 4:43-44, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

At one point, He tried to get away for some rest, but a crowd found Him and we’re told in Mark 6:34, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

And he began to teach them many things.”

In Mark 1, Peter begs him to continue a healing service, but we’re told in v. 38, “And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

Matt 11:1 tells us, “When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

Jesus’ priority is preaching – and that’s what He sends His apostles out to do.

Look at Luke 9:1, “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

(Jump to v. 6) 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

(To v. 11) 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.”

You can’t miss it!

Jesus’ priority was preaching.

The Bible says in Rom 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

There is power in the Word, and so it is the priority of Jesus’ life.

Paul says in Rom 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

Listen, Beloved, the best thing we can ever do for anyone is to expose them to the gospel that Jesus was so anxious to preach.

His priority must be our priority.

We must tell people about Jesus, share books and literature and CD’s that give the message, invite people to church where the gospel is proclaimed – by any means possible.

I love the Gideons who give out the Word.

It’s why we’re here!

Sure, not everyone will believe.

Not everyone believed Jesus either.

Ever think of that?

But they should get the chance!

Several biographies of the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon include the account of a woman who bought some butter at a farmer’s market.

The package was wrapped in a piece of newsprint that included a page of one of Spurgeon's published sermons.

Through that partial exposition of a single Bible verse, she came to faith in Christ.

Spurgeon himself was converted as a teenager when a he entered a church one morning where the pastor was absent because of a blizzard.

An ill-prepared, uneducated layman gave a lesson from John 3:14-15: "(As) Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."

At one point as he spoke the man looked directly at Spurgeon and said, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ".

Spurgeon said, “I saw at once the way of salvation.

When the bronze serpent was lifted up, the people only looked and were healed, so it was with me.

I had been waiting to do 50 things, but when I heard that word, "Look!" what a charming word it seemed to me!

There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun.

Oh, that somebody had told me this before, "Trust Christ, and you shall be saved."

We may not all preach like Jesus, but we must get the gospel to people any way we can.

The Word is the power of God to salvation.

*B.

In Deeds*

Now, second, we must share the gospel in deeds.

In v. 18, this whole multitude “came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.

And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.”

Jesus’ priority was preaching, even to the point of sometimes moving on even when being pressed.

But He did good by healing.

It is interesting that even His critics never questioned that Jesus could heal.

He was never called a fraud.

In fact, just recently an ancient magician’s cup, dated mid 1st century AD, was found underwater off the coast of Alexandria that said, “By the power of Christ.”

That guy wasn’t a Christian, but he’d heard of this power and added it to his bag of tricks.

Jesus’s power was legendary.

But why did He heal?

*To Show Compassion* – First, His healing clearly showed His compassion for people.

Jesus loved people – even those no one else would touch.

And so must we.

He healed because He cared.

Matt 9:35-36 tells us, “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus knew the religious leaders despised common people.

But Jesus had compassion.

Both His preaching and healing were a result of His compassion.

He cared for people, loved the unlovely, had a heart for the helpless.

Matt 14:14, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

One day Jesus happened on a funeral procession.

We’re told in Luke 7:13, “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still.

And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

Faced with the death of his own friend, Lazarus, Jesus wept with his sisters before raising him from the dead.

He had a heart for people; so must we, especially those who are different, diseased, downhearted, unlovely.

We need to pray for compassion – for everyone, but particularly for those who are odd, unattractive, mean-spirited – not our cup of tea.

*To authenticate His Message* – If you show up saying you are the Son of God, that you bring the kingdom of God and that people must repent to be part of it, you had better be able to substantiate your claim, right?